Archive for July, 2008
Monogram your morning
Monograms evoke memories of mom’s writing on t-shirt tags worn to summer camp and fancy hand towels in the bathroom of newlyweds. Monograms are pre-internet taggings of items that we want to claim or express ourselves on. I personally enjoy the first initial monogram, which is why I gravitated towards the tea cup shown above. [...]
Filed under: etymology, words | 4 Comments
Tags: anthropologie, cup, etymology, etymology of monogram, letter, monogram, monogrammed cup, tags, tea cup, word
The defining layers of “makeup”
Ever since I applied my first shade of Bonne Bell lip gloss in middle school, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with “makeup.” I enjoy the colors and art form, but I always debate about concealing vs. enhancing. So, I thought I would bring that debate back to the surface today and take a closer look at [...]
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Tags: beauty, etymology, makeover, makeup, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, word
Sunday Slanguage: Texpectation
During a busy weekend filled with events, I was glued to my phone while arranging rides, discussing gifts and alerting others of why I was so MIA, all through text messaging of course. Texting is a common phone activity that keeps my fingers in shape when not dancing all over my laptop’s keyboard. However, instant [...]
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Tags: anxiety, instant communication, letter, pen pal, slang, slanguage, texpectation, text, texting, the word
Words to walk by
When I think of concourses at an airport, magazine stands, food carts and colliding suitcases come to mind. Although, if you happen to be walking through Concourse J in the Miami International Airport, then your inner word nerd will be delighted to see phrases from the book The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The “text from River [...]
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Tags: everglades, installation, miami international airport, river of grass, words
A rabbit is pulled from a hat, your card is instantly guessed, an object disappears from a hand and appears behind your ear, and a woman who was split in half is put back together. All magicians usually end the previous entertainment experiences with one memorable word, “abracadabra.” I never truly payed much attention to [...]
Filed under: etymology, words | 3 Comments
Tags: abracadabra, aramaic, cabalistic, etymology, magic, magical, words
Words of art
Turn your wall worthy words into works of graphic art with my new favorite tool, Wordle. Simply copy and paste text into the site, and Wordle will generate an eye pleasing “word cloud.” Once your text is deconstructed into a fabulous word puzzle, you can then make this creation truly unique by changing the [...]
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Tags: apartment therapy, etymology, home decor, wall art, word, wordle
Sunday Slanguage: Bling
In my introductory “Sunday Slanguage” post, I received a comment from a fellow blogger who wanted to know a bit more about the glitzy slang word, “bling.” I have encountered “bling” in celebrity magazines, pop music lyrics, and other pop culture realms and know that it references jewelry. However, I did not think that this [...]
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Tags: bling, slang, slanguage, sunday slanguage, urban dictionary
Here’s to our “friends”
As I’m sitting here typing on my lovely friend’s computer, I feel quite moved to delve into the word “friend.” Over the years, my definition of “friend” has varied from the girl who shared her toys with me, to the girls that whispered middle school secrets over the phone late at night, to the women [...]
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Tags: etymology, friend, merriam webster, word
Wear your words…on your neck
We all have a favorite word, or at least a word we use so much that our friends can’t wait to throw a thesaurus at us. So why not celebrate that favorite word in a non permanent way that you won’t regret in the morning (“bubba” in blue ink on your right arm doesn’t look [...]
Filed under: etymology, wear your words, words | 2 Comments
Tags: brookadelphia, charm, etymology, necklace, words
Shhh it’s a secret
Whispering into one’s ear, quickly passing a note that has been folded into a square the size of your thumb, a spot where you meet friends back in the woods, and pinky-swearing. All of these experiences and things relate to the word “secret.”
“Secret,” both an adjective and a noun, can be dated back to the [...]
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Tags: etymology, secret, word
Sunday slanguage
I’ve been known to throw some slanguage around now and then, what can I say, I’m from Philly. I thoroughly enjoy scholarly pieces just as much as the pop culture blogs overflowing with the newly created words of the moment. So I thought I would start a weekly “sunday slanguage” post to spice up the [...]
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Tags: etymology, language, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, slang, slanguage, words
Wear your words…to bed.
The last “Wear your words” post was all about the infamous “t-shirt,” but this time I thought we would slip into or actually under something a little more comfortable, a fabulous blanket. The blanket that I am referring to is a truly special nighttime accessory, as it is composed of layers of fabric that can [...]
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Tags: bedtime story, platform 10, royal college of art, wear your words, words
Happy Fireworks Weekend!
As we celebrate independence this weekend in the U.S.A, there’s one thing that all we look forward to more than the plate of burgers and the crazy lady dressed in red, white and blue with her face painted. Have you guessed what I’m referring to yet? If you said “fireworks,” then go light yourself a [...]
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Tags: 4th of July, etymology, fireworks, independence day, merriam webster, rockets, words
Brought to you by the letter “T”
As a follow up to yesterday’s post, I thought I would explore the word, “t-shirt.”
They hang in your closet, are folded in your drawer, or are in a pile in the corner of your room. They’re worn in, trusty, cotton friends that can last through the years. But did you ever stop to think about what [...]
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Tags: american apparel, dictionary, etymology, merriam webster, shirt, t-shirt, tee shirt, training shirt, word
Wear Your Words….on your chest
Even when you’re not speaking, you still have the ability to communicate with those around you by wearing your words. The next time you walk down the street, keep count of how many individuals pass you wearing t-shirts decorated with a killer word, witty phrase, or memorable quote.
I am all for expression, however, I am [...]
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Tags: choiceshirts, freedom of speech, language, spreadshirt, t-shirt, threadless, wear your words, words on t shirts
My Favorite Book
Word lovers, raise your pencil, your pen, your laptop and your journal (not your desktop-please no injuries) to the dictionary, my favorite book. It comes in all shapes, sizes (extra large and super small), colors, languages, topics and can be found on a shelf and online. I’ve certainly collected quite a few dictionaries over [...]
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Tags: dictionary, etymology, merriam webster, online dictionary
